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Media Advisory: OFL President Sid Ryan Available to Media After Pension Deposition to Government

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - March 20, 2015) - Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) President Sid Ryan will be available for questions from the media on Monday, March 23, immediately following his deputation on the proposed Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP). Following public consultations in late January and early February, the Ontario Government is holding four days of all-party committee hearings to receive submissions on the implementation of a made-in-Ontario pension plan. The OFL will be submitting a comprehensive proposal to the Committee on Social Policy to support the creation of an ORPP with important enhancements.

Interviews can be scheduled for any time before or after the deputation, which runs from 2:15 pm to 2:30 pm.

"Despite overwhelming public support and years of lobbying from labour unions and provincial governments, the Harper Government has shut down hopes of an expanded CPP as long as he is in office," said OFL President Sid Ryan. "This is why the OFL stands firmly behind the plan for an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan, but the Ontario government has one shot to get it right and the labour movement has detailed proposals to help them hit the mark."

QUICK FACTS ON RETIREMENT INSECURITY

2/3 of Ontario workers do not have a workplace pension;

3/4 of private sector workers in Ontario do not have a workplace pension;

10% of Ontarians age 65 and over live in poverty;

The average Ontario retiree receives a meager $6,800 a year from the CPP;

Pensioners make up more than 7% of Ontario food bank recipients; and

The average annual income of 2/3 of elderly Canadians is $25,000, compared to an average Canadian wage of $47,200.

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) represents 54 unions and one million workers in Ontario. For information, visit www.OFL.ca and follow the OFL on Facebook and Twitter: @OFLabour.